I started in the restaurant business as a waiter and I know how hard waiters and waitresses and bartenders work. They work hard every day.

So did I. After saving tips and proceeds from the sale of a used Honda Accord, we were able to start our own restaurant. That was 21 years ago. Since then, our business has grown, and we’re hoping to continue to grow.

Let me share with you one of the big reasons for our success: We treat our guests like family. I’ll tell you another secret: We also treat our employees like family. In addition, we work hard to keep our restaurants approachable and affordable.

We support an increase in Minnesota’s minimum wage, but it’s important that lawmakers apply common sense as they proceed.

A survey conducted by the Minnesota Restaurant Association found the average tipped restaurant employee in the Twin Cities makes $22/hour. And we’re proud of that. We want our staff to make good money and have good lives.

Let me explain. Tax time is around the corner. If you looked at most servers’ W2s you would see they already make more than the minimum wage when tips are included. Remember that — the W2 shows tips included. Why? Because that’s how our state taxes servers, on the total. Tips included. Employers pay social security based on the total. Tips included. The Affordable Care Act is calculated on the total. Tips included. Medicare and unemployment are paid on the total. Tips included.

The restaurant industry is working with legislators to, yes, raise the minimum wage, but only for people who actually earn the minimum wage. See the difference? The proposal is known as a “tipped employee tier.”

Here’s how it works. Start with an employee who works for pay and tips. If their combined total (the one on the W2) averages out to $12 an hour or more, that employee would continue to receive the current $7.25 base minimum wage. They earn at least $12 an hour. They are taxed on at least $12 an hour. This example employee is already earning more than the minimum wage.

But what if they didn’t hit the $12 an hour benchmark, measured each pay period?

If that happens they would earn the new higher minimum wage set by the Legislature, plus their tips. This example employee never earns less than the minimum wage, and typically will earn a fair amount more. We guarantee it.

In his State of the Union Address, President Obama announced he was raising the minimum wage for new federal contractors to $10.10 an hour and praised Minnesota’s own Punch Pizza for paying most of its employees $10 an hour to start. The good news is that our “tipped employee tier” proposal is even better, creating a new level of $12 an hour.

The next time you dine out, consider this — maybe your waiter is saving his or her tips to start a restaurant someday. That’s how we grow our economy, create jobs and have a welcoming face standing at your table saying “Welcome, how can I help you?”

The likely downside of an unbridled minimum wage hike would be fewer hours for servers, fewer job opportunities, higher menu prices and reduced investment in growth. Fortunately, with the “tipped employee tier,” we can protect good server jobs, create a new minimum wage level of $12 an hour, and help keep our restaurant scene strong and vibrant.

David Burley is co-owner of Blue Plate Restaurant Company, which has eight restaurants in the Twin Cities, and is president of the Minnesota Restaurant Association.

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